Transmission apparatus



March 19, 1940. 11 5 B U A, 2,193,936

TRANSMISSION APPARATUS Filed June 20, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 David 05 fand Edward C. Ernsf Char/es E. Bee/ man INVENTORS March 19, 1940. D. OSTAND ET AL 'JE'RANSMISSION APPARATUS Filed June 20, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 David Osfand Edward C. Err/sf Char/e .5 E. Bee/ marl INVENTOR5 BY J C:

ATT N Patented Mar. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRANSMISSION APPARATUS Application June 20, 1938, Serial No. 214,648

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a transmission apparatus such as may be employed for the driving of sewing machines and the like, the present application being a continuation of a copending application Serial No. 198,104, filed March 25, 1938, in the name of David Ostand, Edward C. Ernst and Charles E. Beckman, concerning a sewing machine drive mechanism.

An object of the present invention is toimprove the efliciency and the durability of the device disclosed in the copending application above referred to.

Another object of the invention. is to provide a power transmission apparatus which is so constructed as to greatly minimize belt breakage, and the wearing of other parts of the transmission apparatus under normal conditions of use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved lubricating system for an apparatus of the character stated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simplified and inexpensive means of effecting a reverse drive from a master drive shaft to a sewing machine'or other power operated mechanism, and to so design the reverse drive means asto secure a flexibility of adjustment such that no alteration is necessary in the work table or the position of the sewing machine thereon, in

converting the drive from the direct driving relationship to a reverse drive relationship, and vice versa.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction ofv power transmission apparatus wherein all tendency to create noise and to perform in a jerky or erratic manner is effectively eliminated; while at the same time provision is made for rapid starting and stopping of the machine driven by the transmission apparatus.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed i the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an end elevational view of the power transmission apparatus of the present invention showing said apparatus belted to a sewing machine pulley in reverse drive relationship.

Fig.2 is a fragmental longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 1, certain parts being shown in elevation in the interest of clarity of disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a thrust collar which forms a detail of the invention.

In the larger tailoring shops and other establishments devoted to the manuiactureoi clothing and fabric articles, it is common practice to (Cl. Pb-242.14)

provide a long table or work bench having opposite sides lined with sewing machines and other equipment, the operators of such machines and equipment being seated at the table or work bench facing one another. The two rows of ma- 5 chines at the opposite sides of the table or work bench,are commonly driven from a master drive shaft located longitudinally of and beneath the table or work bench. The master drive shaft is constantly rotated in one direction by means of 19 a motor of sufficient power to operate all of the sewing machines or other pieces of equipment simultaneously. Each sewing machine is equipped with a power'transmission apparatus to be con trolled by the individual operators, as disclosed in the c'opending application hereinbefore mentioned. Each power transmission apparatus is belted to the master drive shaft, and is capable of transmitting the rotation of the master drive shaft to a sewing machine or the like, either directly or in a reverse direction- In most instances, thesewing machines at one side of the work table were driven with a proper direction of rotation by crossing the belt used for transmitting power from the master drive shaft to the transmission apparatus. The use of crossed belts has been a common source of expensive maintenance, and of undesirable delays, allof which have been practically eliminated by means of the present invention. Attention'is directed to the various other objects and accomplishments recited in the'forepart of this description, which set forth various additional advantages of the structure about to be described.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the character 4 indicates a table upon which the rows of sewing machines or other equipment are mounted. The main shaft of a sewing machine is indicated at 5, and it carries a pulley over which is trained the sewing machine belt 6. The 40 belt passes through a slot 1 in the table to connect with the power transmission apparatus which is shown located beneath the table. The transmission apparatus may be suspended from the table by means of suitable table'brackets 8 and 9, which may be bolted or otherwise secured to the under side of the table. A pair of suspension arms or auxiliary brackets it! and [2 support the transmission apparatus upon the brackets 8 and 9, and provide for bodily adjustment of the position of the transmission apparatus so as to compensate for variations in the lengths of the belts used in transmitting power from the master drive shaft, not shown. The suspension arms or auxiliary brackets l0 and I2, may be adjustably secured to the stationary mounting brackets by means of the bolts I3 and I4, so that the entire transmission apparatus may be rotated about said bolts, and moved toward and from the table along an oblique path determined by the elongated sloping slots I5 provided in each of the stationary mounting brackets, thereby providing for a universal adjustment of the transmission apparatus relative to the slot 7 of the table for centering the sewing machine belt 6 within the slot 1. The stated adjustments at the bolts I3 and I4 are resorted to when converting the drive from the direct to the reverse rotation, and vice versa. If desired, this particular adjustment may be made to adjust the tension of the belt, altho other adjusting means are preferred and provided for that purpose. It should be noted that the adjustable suspension arm or auxiliary bracket I2 is developed into a disk like braking element It, which by preference is integral with the auxiliary bracket I2. A further explanation concerning the stationary braking element H5 will be given hereinafter.

With reference now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the lower end I I of the auxiliary bracket I8 is enlarged and bored to receive a hollow main shaft I8 which is fixed to the bracket H3 in any suitable manner, such as by means of a screw IS. The opposite end of the shaft is received in the hollow hub portion 28 of the braking element I 6, which may be suitably secured thereto in any manner, such as by means of the screw 2!. The hollow main shaft accordingly is anchored securely to the adjustable suspension arms or brackets I 0 and I2, so as to preclude the possibility of rotation of the hollow main shaft.

Rotatably mounted upon the hollow main shaft I8 are the drive wheel 22 and the driven wheel 23. The drive wheel 22 is provided with a belt groove 24 for reception of the direct drive belt which is operated from the master drive shaft (not shown) thereby furnishing constant rotation for the drive wheel. The drive wheel has also a clutch face 26 which may be engaged with the complementary clutch face 21 of the driven wheel 23. A groove 28 receives the sewing machine belt 6, so that the sewing machine will be driven whenever the complementary clutch faces 26 and 21 are placed in driving relationship one to the other. On the side of the driven wheel opposite to that which carries the clutch face 21, there is furnished a braking face 29 adapted to engage the brake lining 30 which is fixed to the stationary braking element I6. From the foregoing, it should be evident that the movement of the driven wheel 23 to the right (Fig. 2) will cause the driven wheel to encounter a braking resistance for stopping rotation of the driven wheel, whereas shifting of the driven wheel to the left will cause it to leave the braking face 38 and engage the constantly rotating drive wheel 22 so as to effect a driving relationship at the clutch faces 26 and 21. It should be noted that the driving wheel 22 is not shiftable along the main shaft I8, as its hub 3i impinges against the thrust bearing 32 which is backed up by the bearing support 33 having a fixed relationship with the main shaft I8 by reason of its attachment by means of the screw 34, or otherwise. The character 35 indicates a packing ring to retain lubricant for the thrust bearing 32.

The shifting of the driven wheel 23 along the main shaft l8 may be accomplished by the means now to be described. It will be noted that the thrust bearing support 33 may be furnished with an extension 35 providing a pivot 31 for a bell crank having arms 38 and 39 radiating substantially at right angles from the pivot pin 3?. The free end of the arm 39 may carry a pivot 48 adapted for connection to a longitudinal actuating rod 4i to be reciprocated within the hollow main shaft I8 upon rotation of the bell crank about its pivot 37. The bell crank arms 38 may be connected with a pedal or other suitable means within the reach of the operator of the machine, substantially as disclosed in the copending application previously mentioned. The rod 4| normally is yieldingly urged toward the right by means of a spring or other yielding means 42 having one end abutting the stationary main shaft f8, and the opposite end abutting an adjusting nut 43 which is threaded onto the rod for the purpose of regulating the force of the spring.

The driven wheel 23 is caused to move with the reciprocable actuating rod by reason of the fact that the hub 44 of the driven wheel is embraced between the outwardly turned flange 45 and a thrust collar 46 on a sleeve 4'! which is slidably supported about the stationary main shaft I8. The sleeve 41 is apel'tured to receive a driving pin 48 of the thrust collar 46, which pin enters an elongated slot 45 formed in the wall of the main shaft It. The inner end of the driving pin enters a depression or recess 55! in the actuating rod, so that longitudinal movement of the rod is transmitted to the driving pin 48, thrust collar 46, sleeve 47, and the flange of the sleeve indicated at 45. A set screw 48 1. locks pin 48.

From the foregoing, it should be evident that reciprocation of the longitudinal actuating rod ll will be transmitted directly to the driven wheel 23, for engaging said wheel with either the bank ing face of the stationary part 58 or the clutch face of the driving wheel 22, according to the wishes of the operator who controls the movement of the actuating rod through the medium of the bell crank 3839. A suitable anti-friction bearing 5I may be furnished about the hub of the driven wheel 23 to receive the thrust imposed by the collar 46 while moving the driven wheel to driving relationship with the constantly rotating drive wheel 22.

Due to the compactness of the transmission apparatus, and the severe character of the services required of devices of this type, it has been found necessary to embody within the construction a very efficient lubricating system. As herein disclosed, lubricant is carried to the moving parts by means of a wick which is in the form of a cord 52. It should be noted that the wick is quite long, and it takes a circuitous path through the mechanism in such a manner as to reach and supply lubricant to all vital running parts. To this end, the actuating rod 4| is made hollow along a portion of its length, to provide the duct 52. The end 53 of the duct communicates with a lubricant reservoir 54, which may be in the form of a bottle for holding a supply of lubricant and a portion of the wick, as shown in Fig. 2. A cup 55 for the bottle has connected therewith an elbow 5E terminating in an interior threaded nut 5'! which screws onto the end of the actuating rod. The bottle preferably is removable from the cap, so that it may be recharged periodically with a suitable lubricating fluid.

At the inner-most end of the duct 52, the actuating rod is drilled transversely as at 58, to provide a way leading the wick into a longitudinal milled slot 59, in the wall of the stationary main shaft I8. The wick extends along the slot 59 to areaoae an point 60, at which the actuating rod is provided with an aperture for re-entry of the wick into the longitudinal bore or duct 52. From the point 50, the wick extends to the lubricant reservoir, and its end is preferably tied to the opposite end of the wick, as at El. With this construction, it is impossible to accidently remove the wick oiler from the interior of the mechanism.

In order that the wick may not be subjected to destructive action of the hub 3| of the driven member 32, a pad 62 of leather or other porous and durable material may be placed within the milled slot 59, between the wick and the hub 31.

The'pad will be seen to extend to the region of the antifriction bearing 5|, so as to protect the wick from the rubbing action of the sleeve 4'! occurring when the actuating rod is longitudinally shifted. In order that the lubricant may reach the bearing surfaces of the driven wheel hub 44, a-second pad 63 is inserted in the slot 64 of sleeve 41. As the driven member 23 rotates upon the sleeve 41, lubricant will be fed from the wick and through the pads 62 and 63, providing the necessary oiling for the bearing surfaces of hub 44 and sleeve 41.

It should be noted that the hub 3! of the driving wheel is provided with an annular end depression 65 into which the flange 45 of sleeve l! may enter when the driving and driven wheels are disposed to the clutch relationship. The annular recess contains also washer or ring 66, which is urged always into yielding contact with the, flange 45. It is preferable that the ring or washer 66 be forced to rotate with the driving wheel 22, and to this end the hub of the driving wheel may be bored as at 61 to receive a spring 68 and a pin 69 which is surrounded by the spring and attached to the ring, thereby insuring unitary movement of the ring and the driving wheel as the latter rotates. It is to be understood that the form of means shown and described for effecting the unitary rotation of the parts mentioned, is exemplary only, it being obvious that several expedients for accomplishing the unitary rotation of the parts will readily manifest themselves upon the suggestion of the Fig. 2 disclosure. The functions of the yieldingly urged ring 66 are to prevent squealing of the parts when running, and to insure such breaking of the clutch contact faces as will preclude any slight clutch engagement such as would seriously impair the clutching faces between the drive and driven wheels. The spring urged ring 96 is found to effect a clean and complete break between the clutch faces, without noise or any jerking action that might otherwise result from looseness between the parts intermediate the thrust bearings 32 and 51.

Attention is now directed to Fig. l which shows the serpentine belt arrangement employed for driving the sewing machine in a direction which is the reverse of the direction of rotation of the drive and driven wheels. Normally the belt 6 would extend about the driven wheel 23, along the lower half of its periphery, and with the belt thusly applied, the sewing machine shaft 5 would be driven in the same direction as the master drive shaft and the driving and driven wheels 22 and 23. However, when it is necessary to operate the sewing machine in the reverse direction, by reason of its location at one side of the work table or the other, the serpentine arrangement disclosed in Fig. l isresorted to. In this connection, there are provided the idler pulleys l0 and H, each of which is mounted for rotation upon an adjustable pulley arm [2 or 53. The pulley arm in each instance is provided with an elongated slot 14 for reception of an adjusting bolt 15, the threaded end of which bolt is received into threaded bore 11 of a clamp plate 16 disposed at'the side of the stationary braking plate opposite to the side which carries the pulley arm (see Fig. 2). The bolt Hi extends through the stationary braking element it, where the braking element is perforated, as at '18, to permit a circulation of air for cooling the brake. The perforation 18 is in the form of an arcuate wide slot which is preferably concentric to the axis of rotation of the transmission apparatus, and the length of each of said apertures approximates one quarter of the circumference of the braking element or plate it. It should be evident from the foregoing that the adjusting screw 16 may be loosened so, as'to provide for substantial shifting of the pulley arm and its clamp plate bodily along the slot or aperture 78 from one end there of to the other. In addition, the pulley arm may be advanced and retracted radially by reason of the provision of slot M and it may also be rotated about the adjusting screw '25 as a pivot. This construction provides for a wide range of adjustment of the idler pulleys, so as to under all circumstances locate the upright runs of the sewing machine belt within the limit defined by the slot 1 of table 4. Moreover, the arrangement enables the use of sewing machine belts which might have broken or worn away at one location, and which may have the worn or broken portions cut away, and the ends joined to form a shorter belt that would be accommodated by effecting a proper adjustment of the idler pulley arms.

Particular attention is directed to the fact that the reverse drive is effected upon the sewing machine belt and the driven wheel 23, rather than upon the driving wheel 22, the object of this being to bring the reverse means into play only when the clutch is engaged to drive the sewing machine. This condition is of considerable importance, due to the fact that the idler pulleys of the reversing means must necessarily travel at high speed, and accordingly it is found very desirable to have the reversing mechanism remain in a state of rest between sewing operations. The arrangement of reversing means disclosed herein affords a considerable saving of maintenance cost resulting from belt wear, machinery wear, and belt breakage which would occur if the reversing means were applied to the driving wheel. In addition, the present reversing means readily may be applied to or detached from the transmission apparatus without dismantling the apparatus to any extent whatever, and the parts are rendered simple and inexpensive, with the further advantage that replacement of idler pulleys and arms may be accomplished with a minimum of labor and expense, in a few moments time. It is noteworthy also that repairs of the sewing machine belt and the reversing mechanism, and all adjustment and servicing of the device may be effected without shutting down any of the machines operating from the same master drive shaft. This advantage eliminates much annoyance, expense, and waste of operating time that would otherwise become a factor in the operating expense of the establishment. As wiil be obvious, the invention is of primary utility in establishments operating upon a piece work payment plan, wherein management of the establishment would be rendered exceedingly diificult by'reason of delays imposed upon operators other than the one whose machine might require a shut-down.

The transmission apparatus herein disclosed is practically trouble-free, and will operate for long periods of time without attention and adjustment, once it is placed in operation. The lubricating of the apparatus is entirely automatic, and the actuating rod adjustment easily and quickly may be performed to suit the machine to the requirements of various operators by simply rotating the adjusting nut 43 to increase or decrease the force of the spring 42. In the event of breakage or wearing of the running parts of the transmission apparatus, such parts easily may be replaced with a minimum expenditure of time and effort, and without interference with the normal operation of other equipment operating from the master drive shaft. By attaching the lubricant reservoir to the end of the reciprocating actuating rod as explained, the lubricant therein is kept in a state of agitation as the machine operator repeatedly clutches and declutches the transmission apparatus during use. The result of this agitation, which is quite severe and frequent, is to keep the wick oiler saturated where it is most apt to dry out, that is, where it extends through the elbow of the reservoir cap and into the bore of the actuating rod. The saturating effect upon the wick occurs whether the reservoir be full or only partly full of lubricant.

It is to be understood that the reverse drive idler pulleys may be supported upon any fixed support other than the stationary braking element, and they may be spring urged against the sewing machine belt, if desired. Various other modifications and changes in the structural details may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a power transmission apparatus comprising a shaft, a driving wheel supported by said shaft for unidirectional rotation, a rotatable driven wheel supported axially of the driving wheel and having a belt-engaging surface at its periphery, a circular braking plate for selectively engaging the driven wheel, means for selectively imparting to the driven wheel the rotational movement of the drive wheel, of a reverse drive means including a pair of idler pulleys located adjacent to the belt-engaging surface of the driven wheel, and in the plane of the driven wheel, at opposite sides of a diameter of said wheel, bracket means on the braking plate for supporting each idler pulley in the plane of the driven wheel, and means for adjustably shifting the bracket means both radially and arcuately of the circular braking plate.

2. The combination which comprises a table having a belt aperture therein, a machine above the table including a machine pulley located over the belt aperture of the table, a mounting bracket fixed beneath the table, a suspension bracket including a braking plate, and means for adjustably mounting the suspension bracket upon the mounting bracket for varying the distance between the braking plate and the table, a power transmission apparatus including a driven wheel and a braking face on the driven wheel to engage the braking plate aforesaid, said apparatus being supported by the braking plate, a pair of arms adjustably fixed to the braking plate, an idler pulley on each arm supported for rotation adjacent to the driven pulley periphery and in the'plane thereof, and a single endless belt passing over the machine pulley, through the table aperture, beneath both idler pulleys, and over that portion of the driven wheel periphery which is closest to the machine pulley and the under side of the table.

3. The combination which comprises a table having a belt aperture therein, a machine above the table including a machine pulley located over the belt aperture of the table, a mounting bracket fixed beneath the table, a suspension bracket including a circular braking plate, and means for adjustably mounting the suspension bracket upon the mounting bracket for varying the distance between the braking plate and the table, a power transmission apparatus including a driven wheel and a braking face on the driven wheel to engage the braking plate aforesaid, said apparatus being supported by the braking plate, a pair of arms fixed to the braking plate, an idler pulley on each arm supported for rotation adjacent to the driven pulley periphery and in the plane thereof, an endless belt passing over the machine pulley, through the table aperture, beneath the idler pulleys, and over that portion of the driven wheel periphery which is closest to the machine pulley and the under side of the table, and means for adjusting the idler pulley arms both radially and circumferentially of the circular braking plate to center the belt in the table aperture.

4. The combination with a horizontal work table having a belt aperture therein, and a machine pulley located over the aperture, of a mounting bracket fixed to the under side of the table adjacent to the aperture, said bracket having an elongated slot therein inclined obliquely to the plane of the table, a power transmission unit including a driven pulley disposed directly below the table aperture, and a braking disc on said unit adjacent to the driven pulley, means for rotating the driven pulley selectively and means for moving the driven pulley into contact with the braking disc, means in the inclined slot of the bracket for shiftably supporting the transmission unit in selected positions at diiTerent distances from the ends of the table aperture, a pair of arms each having a base end and an extending end, and a freely rotatable idler pulley on the extending end of each arm, the idler pulleys being disposed in a vertical plane which includes the driven pulley, the machine pulley, and the table aperture, means pivotally mounting the base ends of the arms upon the braking disc for disposing the idler pulleys at various distances from the table, and an endless power transmission belt threaded over the top of the driven pulley, beneath the idler pulleys, through the table aperture, and over the top of the machine pulley.

5. The combination with a horizontal work table having a belt aperture therein, and a machine pulley located over the aperture, of a mounting bracket fixed to the under side of the table adjacent to the aperture, said bracket having an elongated slot therein inclined obliquely to the plane of the table, a power transmission unit including a driven pulley disposed directly below the table aperture, and a braking disc on said unit adjacent to the driven pulley, means for rotating the driven pulley selectively and means for moving the driven pulley into contact with the braking disc, means in the inclined slot of the bracket for shiftably supporting the transmission unit in selected positions at different distances from the ends of the table aperture, a pair of arms each having a base end and an extending end, and a freely rotatable idler pulley on the extending end of each arm, the idler pulleys being disposed in a vertical plane which includes the driven pulley, the machine pulley, and the table aperture, means associated with the braking disc and the bases of the idler pulley arms for varying the degree of extension of the arms from the braking disc in a direction obliquely to the plane of the table, and an endless power transmission belt threaded over the top of the driven pulley, beneath the idler pulleys, through the table aperture, and over the top of the machine pulley.

6. The combination with a horizontal work table having a belt aperture therein, and a machine pulley located over the aperture, of a mounting bracket fixed to the under side of the table adjacent to the aperture, said bracket having an elongated slot therein inclined obliquely to the plane of the table, a power transmission unit including a driven pulley disposed directly below the table aperture, and a braking disc on said unit adjacent to the driven pulley, means for rotating the driven pulley selectively and means for moving the driven pulley into contact with the braking disc, means in the inclined slot of the bracket for shiftab-ly supporting the transmission unit in selected positions at different distances from the ends of the table aperture, a pair of arms each having a base end and an extending end, and a freely rotatable idler pulley on the extending end of each arm, the idler pulleys being disposed in a vertical plane which includes the driven pulley, the machine pulley, and the table aperture, a pair of sliding fixable pivots on the braking disc, one for mounting the base end of each idler pulley arm, means for guiding said sliding pivots arcuately along cpposed edges of the braking disc toward and from the plane of the table, to vary the elevation of one or both of the idler pulleys with respect to the table aperture, and an endless power transmission belt threaded over the top of the driven pulley, beneath the idler pulleys, through the table aperture, and over the top or" the machine pulley,

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a power transmitter braking disc having a center, a periphery, and a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate guides near the periphery thereof, a pair of idler pulley arms each including a base end and an extending end, an idler pulley rotatably supported on the extending end of each of said arms, a fixable pivot means on the base end of each pulley arm adapted when loose to slide arcuately along said guides at opposite edges of the braking disc periphery, and means for fixedly securing the pivots and the base ends of the arms upon the braking disc.

' 8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a power transmitter braking disc having a center, a periphery, and a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate guides near the periphery thereof, a pair of idler pulley arms each including a base end and an extending end, an idler pulley rotatably supported on the extending end of each of said arms, means ior'fixing the base ends of the pulley arms relative to the arcuate guides of the disc, and means for disposing the idler pulleys at selected distances radially of the center of the braking disc.

DAVID OSTAND.

EDWARD C. ERNST.

CHARLES E. BECKlVLAN. 

